Hidden treasures of the Archaeological Institute of Liège (IAL)
Birth of the IAL
On 4 April 1850, sixteen "friends of the past" gathered at the premises of the Société d’Émulation in Liège to lay the foundations of a learned society whose primary objective was to research, collect, and preserve works of art and archaeological monuments that testify to Liège's past. This mission is still stated in Article 1 of the statutes of the Liège Archaeological Institute (IAL), the name given to the new association.
Very early in its history and thanks to generous donors, the IAL was able to gather numerous objects related, essentially, to the past of the Liège region. Some major works were already included, such as the mausoleum of Prince-Bishop Velbruck, now on deposit in the cloister of the cathedral, or the bas-relief of the Virgin by Dom Rupert, one of the masterpieces of the Grand Curtius collections.
The exhibition
Today, nearly six hundred pieces belonging to the IAL are displayed in the permanent exhibition at the Grand Curtius, with thousands more in reserve. A sample of around 250 pieces, and not always the least significant, drawn from these reserves will be presented, sometimes for the first time, in the exhibition organised by the Grand Curtius in autumn 2025, to mark the 175th anniversary of the IAL. The primary aim of this exhibition is to showcase the diversity of the collections that have developed over time thanks to friends from Liège's past who were keen to preserve the witnesses of that past.
The exhibition will be an opportunity to showcase recent acquisitions, featuring often unpublished pieces, which demonstrate how active the IAL remains in enriching the museums of Liège.
In this jubilee exhibition, several major pieces from the Egyptological collections that the IAL received from its first president, Baron d’Otreppe de Bouvette, in 1865 will be presented. It is the most important collection of its kind in Wallonia. Due to the origin of the objects, it is even quite complementary to the large collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History at the Cinquantenaire.
The oldest piece presented at the exhibition will be an Acheulean handaxe, a type of all-purpose tool used for cutting wood, meat, or even scraping hides. This object dates back to nearly 300,000 years ago and comes from the district of Sainte-Walburge. It was donated to the IAL by its discoverer, Marcel De Puydt, a pillar of the Institute who was one of the main founders of the famous Liège school of prehistory.
Due to the prominent role played by the IAL in archaeological excavations in the province of Liège in the 19th century, its collections in this field are extremely rich and help to understand the cultural profile of our distant ancestors. The exhibition will feature artefacts not only from prehistoric times but also Gallo-Roman and Merovingian pieces illustrating daily life in our regions during Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. These objects highlight the importance of several archaeological sites that were excavated in the 19th century, such as the Gît-le Coq Jupille square and the Merovingian necropolises of Mont-Saint-Sauveur in Fallais and Pré des Princes in Seraing.
Renowned names in principality sculpture will be presented, foremost our famous Baroque sculptor Jean Del Cour, as well as Liège furniture from the 18th century, representative of the flourishing rococo style.
In painting, one will find a condensed history of Liège painting from the late 16th to the late 18th century, with names such as Jean Ramey (a student of Lambert Lombard), Gérard Douffet (founder of the Liège school of the 17th century), François Walschartz (a great Caravaggist painter who is now almost completely forgotten), as well as Walthère Damery, Jean-Guillaume Carlier, Louis Counet, Léonard Defrance, and Pierre-Michel de Lovinfosse. There will also be topographical engravings of Liège monuments, as well as a drawing by the Spa artist Remacle Le Loup, preparatory for one of the engravings from the famous "Delights of the Land of Liège".
The glass and ceramics will form two major sections of the exhibition due to the number and quality of the items that have been selected.
The stoneware, earthenware, and porcelain will not be left out; some of the rare 18th-century Liège pieces from the Saint-Léonard factory will be found, as well as pieces from the factories of Meissen, Strasbourg, Septfontaines, Raeren, Tournai, Andenne, Brussels, Lunéville, Delft..., and finally pieces commissioned by Liège residents in China and Japan.
Some very beautiful glass pieces will confirm that the Grand Curtius holds one of the most significant European collections of ancient glass. For reference, the Curtius Museum was the origin of the creation of the International Association for the History of Glass. The exhibited pieces will range from 17th and 18th-century glass from the Meuse region, including magnificent examples known in the style of Venice, to Art Nouveau pieces by Gallé, Lalique, or from Val Saint-Lambert.
Many pieces of Liège civil silverware have been acquired in recent years to fill gaps in the collection, particularly pieces from local silversmiths that were not yet represented. Most will be displayed for the first time. A few pieces in tin, especially tin from Liège and Huy, will evoke the significant donation of nearly four hundred pieces of tin that Professor Roger Lemaire has recently made available to the IAL.
This collection will be complemented by a few manuscript documents, such as a book of medical recipes from the 17th century, an illustrated genealogy of the Curtius family, the correspondence of a Liège printer from the late 18th century, and even excavation notebooks from the pioneers of archaeology in the Liège region.
Finally, an ethnographic section will showcase a selection of objects from the hundred that the IAL has long deposited at the Museum of Walloon Life, the most appropriate institution for preserving pieces of this type. For example, the exhibition will feature both a 17th-century tap and an 18th-century dog collar, as well as a waffle mould and a brewery sign from the 19th century.
Finally, a richly illustrated catalogue will be published to mark this anniversary.
This exhibition is organised by the Grand Curtius in collaboration with the Liège Archaeological Institute.
Exhibition curator: Jean-Luc Schütz, Curator of the Archaeology Department of the Grand Curtius.
Practical information
- From 26/09/2025 to 11/01/2026 from 10am to 6pm - closed on Tuesday.
- Online prices and ticketing Online booking is recommended but not mandatory
